Peachland spray park won’t open as hoped on July 1
Technical information needed by BC Hydro to complete design work for a children’s spray park in Peachland hasn’t yet been provided by the municipality, the utility says.
Employees with the Crown-owned corporation sent a letter to the town on April 7 requesting the necessary information.
“We’re still waiting on that information,” BC Hydro spokesperson Dag Sharman wrote in an email..
“However, our staff has been working with the District as recently as today to help them come up with that information,” Sharman wrote.
Town officials said earlier this year they hoped to have the new kids’ splash park, on the shore of Okanagan Lake in Heritage Park in downtown Peachland, open by Canada Day.
At a Tuesday night meeting, however, staff told council that it would still take BC Hydro six to eight weeks to complete the design work for a necessary electrical upgrade, and that the utility would not commit to a construction schedule beyond that timeframe.
Sharman said that once the town provides the necessary technical information, the design work could proceed.
“This type of design request typically takes about six to eight weeks to complete as we are juggling design requests from a number of customers at once,” Sharman wrote.
Once the design is completed, the town can complete the civil works at the splash park. Then, BC Hydro representatives inspect the site to make sure it meets applicable standards, build the necessary connection, and bring power to the site.
It’s not clear at this point when the splash park will actually open for summer use.
“Throughout the process we will look for any opportunities to expedite our work,” Sharman wrote.
“We are working through a revised timeline,” Cheryl Wiebe, the town’s director of community services, wrote in an email.
“But I am doubtful we will have it open for July 1. I hope to have more schedule information in a couple weeks,” Wiebe wrote.